The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-07-03
Ned Harrigan.

Following the Home Club, comes the
notable Ned Harrigan, who last ap-
peared here with the partner who built
up his fame on Harrigan's sketches and
songs-Tony Hart. Harrigan's plays OF
New York lower life, such as Old Laven-
der, The Mulligan Guards, The Leather
Patch, Cordeha's, Aspirations. etc, are
too well known 10 need comment, and
so is Harrigan himself.
1t is complained of his plays that
they lack delicacy. 1t would be strange,
considering the material with which
they deal, if they did not occasionally
approach the vulgar. Vulgar they may
seem at times, but they are never in
delicate or vicious. An accomplished
actor himself, he also possesses a keen
dramatic instinct and the faculty ofim-
parting his instruction and enthusiasm
to his fellows OF the stage. Heis hard
student of literature as well as of human
nature, and his life is exemplary in its
devotion to the stage and to his wife
and children. Born of poor Irish par
ents IN the very heart of tough" New
York-the Seventh Ward-he was just
the man to make study of our com
pick social life, and the use to which be
has put this study and observation, to-
gether with his industry, integrity and
openheartedness, has made him uni
versal favorite among the lower classes
of the metropolis, and he is as popular
with the GeniZens of Thompson, Bax-
ter and Crosby Streets as he is with the
police of the 9th precinct. Everybody
in lower New York knows ED" Harri-
gan, and everyone respects him as much
for his goodness of heart as for his tai
entS.
OF his work Mr.. Harrigan modestIy
says: Il always try to find the touch of
nature that makes the whole world kin.
Human nature is human nature the
whole world over, and it is capable of
the same trusts and deceits, the same
sorrows and joys. Our society is so
complex that the result in a large city is
some very strong contrasts, and it is
here I find my material. In the orig
inal countries from which they come
these people would not attract the at
tention or exhibit such marked charac
teristics as they do here. At least we
would not notice them, but when they
are contrasted in this country-When
they come in contact with people diam
critically opposed to them in matters of
religion, thought, feeling, humor and
modes of ife-then they begin to ex-
hIbit the oddly of their natures. The
stohd German, the cunning Italian, the
Clip Frenchman, the humorous and sly
negro, the cautious Scotchman, the i'm
puIsiYe and witty Irishman. mixed in
with the shrewd, money making
Yankee. give you very odd conglom-
Grafton of human nature, and one which
cannot but produce some very humor-
GUS and interesting results. study my
people in the streets, at the theatres
and in the police stations. After the
theatres l often take in the slums on
my way home, and / never walked
through New York street yet, night
or day, that did not see thousand
things worth remembering, score of
phases of human nature all new to e.
have friends in every quarter of New
York, and not unfrequently these
people, policemen, barkeepers and ward
politicians, have pointed out to me Incl
dents that have afterward proved of
great value to me. One of these is the
negro wake in The Leather Patch, the
reality of which has been questioned oy
paper in this city. My attention was
called to it by Crosby Street saloon
keeper. l witnessed the affair with nv
tWQ ewes ~